Seeking Contentment
by Esus927
Summary: Hard truths are painful; for Naruto, they can be brutal. Following some hurtful information, Naruto tries to find some measure of peace in his life. Alternate Universe. Likely a different village!Naruto. Naruto/Hana Inuzuka
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Anxiety -- that tightening sensation in the pit of your stomach when you just _know_ something bad is about to happen. The fifteen-year-old blond shinobi had felt it before. When he was five and he entered a clothing store, he felt it. When he was eight and he looked into the eyes of his academy teachers, he felt it. When he was eleven and he watched Rock Lee collect his hitai-ate, he felt it. Here and now, he felt it stronger than ever before. Whatever the Yondaime Hokage called him for was not going to be good.

Stepping into the council chambers for the first time was a little intimidating; a somewhat large high ceiling room with high ranking shinobi close to the wall, waiting for any movement that could be construed as aggressive that would cause them to respond. He also noticed his girlfriend was in the room, although she was focused intently on the ground in front of her. Most of the space being taken up by a large round table with a few seats nearest to the door being empty, the rest of the chairs seated the Hokage, Clan Heads, councilmen and advisors.

"Take a seat, Uzumaki Naruto-san."

The Hokage's gentle command only increasing his anxiety; Naruto, after sitting, took a moment to study the most feared shinobi to walk the Elemental Countries. The younger blond had only seen him when he came for missions or to give post-mission reports. Konoha's Yellow Flash wasn't a tall man, standing more than a couple inches shy of six feet, nor was he large with his lean build. The elder man's blond hair, the same color as Naruto's, was a combination of Naruto's childhood hairstyle and his current one; short and spiky on the top with it longer in the back and sides. But, all of that took a backseat to his blue eyes, slightly darker than Naruto's own. The look he gave most screamed 'kindness and restrained power', but whenever the blue eyed teen looked at him all the Uzumaki could see was the well-concealed regret. The teen suspected it was because he _knew, just knew_ why, or better yet, _what_ the man regretted.

Nothing happened for a few minutes. Naruto knew this was a tactic to cause unease before an interrogation, he just couldn't think of a reason to be questioned. While his life wasn't the best, it was infinitely better than it had been before and the teen hadn't thought of leaving the village for years. Eventually, one of the advisors passed a somewhat thick file that had '_Uzumaki Naruto'_ on the tab.

Naruto knew what this was, every shinobi and kunoichi had one. From the kage all the way down to the academy applicants. It was the file that documented everything your village knew about you. From the size of your ninja sandals to how often you shop for groceries to the jutsus you could use. He, being a genin, had never seen his file; they were only accessible once you hit jounin rank. Naruto figured once you rose above jounin you could seal your file to most parties.

He glanced at the female advisor that passed him the file, waiting for the authorization to open it, or at least a command to indicate what they wanted of him.

"Read," Utatane Koharu stated simply, she was one of the main three that led most rulings against him. Shimura Danzo, Mitokado Homura and she were the main antagonists against the jinchuuriki, whatever he was going to find in the file was going to be hard to swallow.

He wasn't surprised to find a few pictures once he flipped the folder open. The first was an updated picture of what he looked like, the next was a close-up picture of the seal that resided on his lower torso, the rest were simply pictures that could have been taken any day of him in various situations. He sat the small stack of photos off to the side and began reading the cover page.

Naruto wasn't shocked or even surprised to see _'Namikaze Minato'_ in the block for his father. He had always noticed the resemblance, when he was a child this was a comforting thought, to be related to such a respected figure. As he grew older though, this changed to resentment. If they were family, why would the Yondaime curse him to the pain of loneliness, the cold reality that there was no-one waiting for you when you got home.

He drew a shuddering breath before looking up at his birth father only to be disappointed. The Hokage seemed incapable of meeting his gaze, the teens eyes watered slightly at that. Drawing another deep breath he turned back to the paper.

'_Uzumaki Kushina – Deceased (complications from childbirth)'_

A sad smile found its way to his face; he finally knew his mother's name. While he had always had an idea of who his father was, he couldn't find anything on a potential mother. He had searched everywhere only to be unable to find a single mention of another documented Uzumaki, he had even combed every graveyard in Konoha.

While he wished she was alive, he was glad she hadn't abandoned him like his father had. The knowledge that she used the last of her life force to give him a chance to live gave him a jolt of happiness. He would never have to question whether or not he was loved by at least one person for the rest of his life, no matter what happened from here on out he carried the love and sacrifice of his mother simply by being alive.

After staring at his mother's name for was must have been at least a few minutes he moved on, still curious of the reason he was being asked to read the file.

'_Age – 15_

_Height – 5'7"_

_Weight – 132 lbs'_

He glossed over the rest of the information, most of which was simple facts anyone could find out by simply looking at him; except one line.

'_Known Lovers – Inuzuka Hana (current)'_

Swallowing the bile that had begun making its way into his throat at the idea that jounin could easily find out such intimate information he moved on trying not to think too much on it. Intellectually he knew this information would be important if a ninja were to betray the village, but that thought didn't cause any less unease.

The following few pages were medical reports detailing the few times he'd been administered medical aid. The Yondaime had done a very good job of protecting Naruto as he grew, the few times he was attacked it was over as quickly as it began. As a jinchuuriki, he knew his life could have been much, much worse than it was.

The next page was something he had known for three years, but this didn't stop him from reading each and every word on the paper.

'_Special Status – Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi no Kitsune_

_Sealer – Hiruzen Sarutobi_

_Seal Designer – Namikaze Minato_

_Sacifice(s) – Life of Hiruzen Sarutobi to the Shinigami'_

It went on to describe witness reports of the sealing, physical changes to the target of the seal, and notes about possible emotional and mental changes to watch for during the jinchuuriki's growth. The page had a hypothesis on why he regenerated, why he received the whisker marks, and more. A large portion of the sheet was dedicated to how the seal worked.

Naruto had good knowledge of seals, after finding out he had a powerful demon sealed inside him he made sure to investigate Fuuinjutsu, but even with this he could only understand and follow a little more than half of what his seal accomplished. Apparently, the seal was designed to essentially transfer the power of the Kyuubi slowly into him, causing his terrible chakra control, until he turned eighteen in which the seal would finish what it was doing. The notes theorized that the jinchuuriki, even after the seal completes itself, would never be as strong as the Kyuubi. The main strength came from the type of chakra which made up the bijuu, and that his human chakra was much less potent and weaker. Coming to the end, he turned the page.

He immediately wished he hadn't.

'_Mission Rank – A_

_Duration – Long term_

_Target – Uzumaki Naruto_

_Mission Type – Infiltration_

_Mission Details – You are to make contact with and become close to the target. Over the entire duration of the mission you are to ensure the loyalty of the target through any means necessary._

_Team(s)/Ninja(s) – Inuzuka Hana'_

His head immediately sought his girlfriend and lover with pleading eyes, begging for this to be a fabrication; she still hadn't turned her gaze from the ground in front of her. Naruto could see the tear tracks down both of her cheeks. Everyone in the room took note of Naruto's tears that were slowly streaming down his marred cheeks. His hands began to shake slightly on their own accord while his jaw tightened so much so that his observers were surprised his teeth didn't crack.

Infiltration missions were rare, but it was commonly known in the ninja world that the easiest way to complete them was to seduce the target in order to complete the mission. Most of these missions were assassination or information gathering.

_This_ is why he was reading the file. They wanted to hurt him. They wanted to taint him in a way that he hadn't been tainted before. A single, emotional choked sob was able to break free from his mouth.

He slowly, with trembling hands, turned the page. Hana had begun her first report on why the mission was being assigned, it was something that, even to this day, he was bitterly resentful for.

Rock Lee had just graduated from the academy while Naruto had failed again, for the second time. He could handle failure if it was fairly given, but he had failed because he still couldn't create a proper bunshin. The examination ninjas were able to overlook the fact that Rock Lee couldn't mold external chakra, but they weren't able to accept that the jinchuuriki couldn't form a lasting bunshin.

It had been the single greatest time when Naruto had contemplated whether or not to abandon his birth village. Naruto had dealt with the looks, the whispers, unfair treatment at stores and restaurants, mistreatment from the academy instructors, and more. But, to be denied his hitai-ate while Rock Lee, a barely passing student who couldn't even mold chakra, earned his was enough to push him over the edge.

Just as he had been trying to figure out how to leave the village without being detected, a pack of three dogs had stumbled onto his training ground. He wasn't afraid, the Inuzuka's had never glared at him or mistreated him, but he was wary of the owner of the dogs. Four years older than himself and, from what little he knew of her, a newly made chuunin.

He couldn't remember the exact reason she had given for being there, perhaps it was his emotional instability at the time, or maybe just a desire, a _need_ to be accepted by her that allowed him to be more open from the start. They became fast friends and thoughts of leaving the village slowly vanished.

Hana had been there after he found out about the Kyuubi and passed the genin exams the following year. She had been there after he made his first killed. She had been his first everything, and he had been her first as well. It was something special, something he never even dreamed he would have. A woman to love and be loved by, and all of it was pure. He was her first and only lover, and she would be his.

To find out that it was all a mission, _a fucking mission;_ words couldn't describe accurately what he was feeling. Dirty, bitter, disbelief, used were just a few of the words that could describe a fraction of what he was going through.

Glancing at the rest of the file he could read her describing various times she comforted him, various sexual encounters she had with him, her perception of his mental and emotional connection to Konoha.

He slowly and deliberated placed the photos from earlier into the folder and closed it. His gaze never left the vanilla file that had so easily broken him; all the while tears still slowly fell from his eyes.

Nearly five minutes would pass before he would choke out a simple question.

"W-why?" Naruto spoke, barely above a whisper and everyone could feel the emotion contained in that single word.

It was Homura that replied.

"It's been six years since you first attempted to advance rank. You are still a genin, and we, the council, are permitted to take measures against you for your failure."

Naruto knew what was about to happen and he knew what rule they were referring to. When he was young he knew he would need to know every law and rule, so he could better defend himself from political and physical attackers. This one in particular had been originally designed to combat influential civilian families from clogging the academy roster with ninja hopefuls that didn't have what it took to make it but refused to give up. It had _never_ been applied to a certified genin.

Perhaps the council wanted him tucked away, hidden in some dark corner. _'Out of sight, out of mind.'_ The villagers had rarely been confrontational towards the jinchuuriki, most just wanted him to go away and fade into the background. He was a lasting reminder for when the village had suffered its most damaging blow, much in the way Mitarashi Anko was for the memory of Orochimaru.

"When a shinobi fails to advance rank beyond the one he or she is testing for over a period of six years," Koharu continued. "The council has the ability to strip them of their ninja status and ban them from further attempts at becoming a shinobi or kunoichi."

'_Of course I'm _still_ a genin, you bastards won't let me take the Chuunin Exams outside Konoha and you same people prevent me from passing the Konoha exams; completely ignoring that I've won both Chuunin Exams that have been held here'_ Naruto thought bitterly.

"Uzumaki Naruto, genin of Konohagakure no Sato, you are hereby stripped of any ninja status you may have once held. You are banned from the academy premises, the shinobi library, any training ground where shinobi are known to practice, and any other official shinobi residence." The Yondaime's voice was hard and stern, but everyone present could hear the reluctance to make such a command.

Naruto couldn't hold in the bitter snort before he began to collect himself, wiping the remaining tears from his eyes.

"Hai." The teen stood and seemed to hesitate, unsure of what more to say or do, before finally turning and walking out the same door that he had come through a little more than an hour ago.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto had spent a week staring at the wall across from his living room futon without interruption. It had been the most depressing week of his life, nothing to take his mind off the torturous thoughts of how he had arrived at his current predicament. A knock at his door jostled him out of his numb state.

He was extremely shocked to see the Godaime Kazekage, Gaara, at his door. They weren't friends, acquaintances more-like, but Gaara was extremely grateful that Naruto had saved him from self-destruction by beating his demonic form in the Chuunin Exams.

"Naruto-sama, I have heard of your situation. Since you are no longer have allegiance toward this village you are free to leave. Shower, gather your belongings and be prepared to leave within the hour."

* * *

The Kyuubi jinchuuriki could hardly believe that someone had come to save him, even after taking a hot shower to clean off a weeks worth of grime and sealing up everything he had in his apartment he was still in a daze. Surrounding him was Gaara and two squads of Suna ANBU. All of which were walking toward the gates of the village to leave it -- most likely permanently. Naruto could see his father near the gates, waiting for them. Before the Hokage could speak though, Gaara cut him off.

"Uzumaki Naruto, by your own orders, is no longer aligned to Konoha. Nor does he owe any allegiance toward your village, he is, through your own actions, free to come-and-go as any normal civilian would be. Any attempt you make to prevent this will be viewed as an attack toward Sunagakure no Sato and we will declare war."

Konoha's Yellow Flash paused at this, before signaling his ninja to stand down and step aside. The few Clan Heads and councilmen nearby wanted to protest, but their own laws prevented them from doing anything. When they had made the decision to strip Uzumaki's ninja rank, they had intended to keep him contained in the village. None had considered the idea that someone with enough political force would come to take him out. He wouldn't even be listed as a missing-nin, a genin with a large bounty and whisker marks would immediately raise red flags. Placing him in the Bingo Book would be like gift wrapping a jinchuuriki with a grudge against Konoha and giving him to a hostile ninja village.

Before exiting though, Naruto whispered in the Hokage's ear low enough that only those two would ever know what was said.

"_When the time comes and you need my help, I want all three of their heads before we even speak."_

Namikaze Minato didn't need his son to clarify who he was talking about. His decision to do whatever it took to protect his son continued to haunt and torture him. Jiraiya had recently brought him information on an organization that wanted the bijuu and jinchuuriki, the world would need the strength of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki when the time came to fighting this group. He would have to begin planning how to get rid of three influential council members without causing too much controversy.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**I.** Minato does not consider Naruto a demon, or the Kyuubi, he ultimately wants to keep him safe. At least a small part of the story will be the relationship between son and father and why Minato choose to go this route.

**II.** I apologize to Hana fans, she isn't being bashed or picked on and there will be at least some residual feelings between the two. More from her towards him than the other way around. I simply needed someone close to Naruto's age (I tweaked it a bit, I think in canon she's six years older than Naruto instead of the four that I have her as) to play a part in the plot of the story. I'm not sure who Naruto will be paired with to be honest, but I don't foresee them being paired up.

**III.** This isn't a harem. Don't ask for one. I don't know who his lady friend will end up being, but I have a few ideas. As you can tell from the story, it's an Alternate Universe where some major things are different. If you have a recommendation for a female to pair Naruto with, then please suggest her and an explanation for why (and how) you think she would work. A warning though, he will not be paired with a Konoha female that caused him problems, so if you're suggesting a girl from Konoha it would have to be Ayame or Hinata or someone else that respected him.

**IV.** Naruto most likely won't be a loyal Leaf-nin, but he most definitely won't be organizing a war to destroy them. So, no revenge story line.

**V.** This is my first story, so if you have any constructive criticism or feedback I'd gladly appreciate it. My grammar isn't horrible, but I doubt many would call it good either.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

It wasn't uncommon for the collective Council of Konoha to go over a week without meeting, so it came as a slight shock to some of the more indifferent members to be called back to the Chambers for second meeting in as many days. A few of the more outspoken members looked as though they had recently tasted something sour.

After everyone was seated and privacy seals erected the meeting began.

"Yesterday, Uzumaki Naruto was stripped of his ninja status and demoted to that of a civilian," the Yondaime began. "Today, under the personal escort of the Kazekage and a large number of Suna-nin, he left the village.

"The purpose of this meeting _is not_ to send any teams after him or to propose any missions to convince him to return. The reason I have called his meeting is to silence any personal opinions that could cause dissent amongst the villagers concerning the events of the day. This will be brief, once we have left these chambers this matter will be closed and it will _not_ be open for further discussion."

Koharu, Homura and Danzo were willing to attack the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, but only when they had the law on their side. While the Yondaime hadn't publicly executed anyone, he had privately executed dozens of people that had abused his son; the Hokage had zero tolerance for any unlawful attacks toward Uzumaki. With this knowledge, no-one in the Chambers was willing to speak candidly their opinion and were forced to grit their teeth and try to find out just _how_ they had lost their Jinchuuriki.

One councilman, who was only able to just barely able to keep his tone level, asked the question that had been on most peoples' minds.

"Just how could the Uzumaki boy be this close to the Kazekage while we weren't aware of their relationship?"

Their leader fielded the question.

"When Kazekage-san, Sabaku no Gaara, was here for the Chuunin Exams three years ago he fought and was beaten by Uzumaki Naruto in the finals. It was made apparent during the fight that Gaara was a Jinchuuriki, an unstable one at that, when he proceeded to readily use the demonic chakra after Uzumaki succeeded in causing physical damage with a concentrated Fuuton attack.

"After Gaara assumed a demonic form, Uzumaki was able to subdue him using Fuuinjutsu. During Gaara's incoherent mental state after his recent change, Uzumaki summoned a large number of Kage Bunshins to distract the Suna-nin long enough to prepare a seal that would close-off Gaara's access to his demonic chakra."

Everyone remembered the fight and most took note of the way the Yondaime had glossed over the obvious signs of insanity and madness that the Kazekage showed at the sight of his blood during that confrontation.

"Once the seal was placed on Gaara, all access to his sand based attacks, both defensive and offensive, were taken away. The Suna-nin then forfeited after a short conversation with Uzumaki. No-one is sure exactly what was said during this discussion, not even Inuzuka Hana, Uzumaki Naruto's confidante and closest friend at the time, is aware of the details," their blond leader stated.

"I anticipated her need at this session, so I'm going to bring in Hana-san for you all to question."

After taking a glance at Inuzuka Tsume, Clan Head and mother of Hana, he noticed the worried expression she bore. It wasn't hard for him to figure out why, so he firmly added something to ease her concerns.

"Just to remind you, Inuzuka Hana is not here to be interrogated, she is here to better ascertain the relationship between the Kazekage and Uzumaki. She is not being accused of any wrong doing, nor is she to be treated as though she is. You _will_ watch your tone and demeanor when questioning or making comments in regards to her and her actions."

With one last hard look around the Council he signaled to an ANBU near the door to retrieve the Inuzuka heiress.

* * *

Seated in a chair was a young woman in her later teens. She was easily a girl that most would normally find attractive with her dark brown colored hair, dark eyes, pretty face, even in-spite of her slightly large nose and red inverted triangle-like marks adorning each check.

But, Inuzuka Hana had seen better days, it was apparent to everyone who had seen her waiting for the Council that she had a rough week. Her eyes swollen red from crying, hair which normally was combed and controlled was as wild as her mothers, a noticeable slump in her shoulders and an unfocused look in her eyes. Her world had come crashing around her barely a week ago and she couldn't help but think of the events that lead her here.

She had been fifteen, just made Chuunin, and was heading home to see her little brother, Kiba, when she was informed to see the Hokage in regards to a mission.

The mission type was the last she ever expected and something she didn't think she would ever have to take part in. Infiltration missions were typically limited to Jounin rank, a rank she had no desire to ever reach. Chuunin was a substantial pay grade above Genin and it allowed her to spend far more time inside the village working as a Veterinarian. She also loved her family and wanted one of her own, being Jounin would take her out of the village for months at a time and that was not acceptable to her.

Just as she was going to decline the mission, something she could do without any ramifications being the heiress to a major Clan, her Kage informed her that the target was only eleven years old. To say she was confused would be an understatement; why in the hell would an infiltration mission be needed against a kid who likely couldn't survive one day without supervision?

'_Uzumaki Naruto'_

She took note of the target's name and took a moment to consider everything she knew about him, which was admittedly not much. She remembered years ago when he would spend a large amount of time pranking people, it didn't last long though and it was gone before she even had a chance to appreciate the cunning and skill of the blond kid with the weird marks on his face. Her mother, when asked if he was related to an Inuzuka, as she had never seen anyone else with marks on their cheeks, only adopted a pitying look and said that he didn't have any family. That was the last she thought of him before this mission.

After a few minutes of introspection, calculating just how much she would be earning on this mission and comparing it to how difficult it would be. She highly doubted she would have to do anything romantic with someone so young; it would essentially be her getting paid a substantial amount of money to act as a friend to some kid.

Researching her target turned out to be more difficult than she had anticipated. People had very few opinions of him, or better said; people would rarely speak honestly and openly about the young blond. He was eleven, blond, had whisker marks, used to play pranks when he was around six or seven, and had failed the academy twice. That was the extent of what she could find out, she couldn't even determine his birthday.

It took the combined effort of her triplet companions, the Haimaru Brothers, and herself to track down the child at a remote training ground.

_As Hana came out from the woods, seemingly looking for her dogs, she took note of her target and his suspicious and wary stance. She would have to be delicate in dealing with this mission and how hard she could press to be a friend of the young blond._

_The boy didn't look like someone who required an A-rank mission to keep watch for. He was of average height for a boy his age, short blond hair which seemed to defy gravity, blue eyes which reminded her of the sky, and three dark symmetric whisker-like marks on each cheek. His clothes were standard issue for a shinboi in training; dark brown, almost black, colored pants and a dark smoky-gray colored shirt._

"_Sorry, was taking a walk around the edges of the village when they got away from me. I hope they didn't scare you." The teenage girl spoke, indicating she was referring to the three dogs._

_Naruto took a moment to consider her before replying._

"_That's alright, what are you doing this far out here? People never come this far away from the main part of Konoha."_

"_One of my companions is rehabbing an injury and I wanted to bring them into the forest to see how he does on uneven terrain. But, why are _you_ out this far? Are you even a Genin?"_

_Naruto's suspicion lessened as frustration began taking its place. His fists clenched as he seemed to try to stare a whole into the ground._

"_Sorry, didn't mean to anger you." Hana was quick to attempt to calm him down; she wasn't sure why he was so angered, it obviously had to do with his failing the Genin exams, but nothing that should have prompted this level of animosity._

"_Do you- do you wanna talk about it?"_

_He didn't appear to of heard her and she was about to make some apologies before leaving, not wanting to seem too forceful, but before she could, he turned toward her and let out a frustrated sigh._

"_They- I mean, I failed the exams for the second time; the ones to become a Genin."_

"_You said something about 'they,' who were you talking about?" she gently pressed._

_Hana noticed his reluctance to talk about it and knew from experience with her brother that it was best to just give him time to work up the courage to talk. It paid off when he relaxed slightly and took a seat on the ground, she followed suit after checking to make sure her dogs weren't too far away._

"_The instructors. I can't make a Bunshin and they failed me," his frustration building. "I can deal with that, I can understand being required to make one to pass. I don't like it, but I can accept it. But Rock Lee, a complete idiot and the Dead Last of the class, couldn't either and _he_ passed!" He practically spat out the last part._

"_I just- I just don't understand why this shit always happens to me._

"_When I was little, I would try to be acknowledged by people. I'd would talk loud, wear obnoxiously bright clothing, play pranks and try to get people to look at me and take notice. I didn't care if the attention was good or not, I just wanted it! I wanted people to see _me_!"_

_Hana wasn't even sure if he was speaking to her anymore, or if he was just venting frustrations that had been boiling over._

"_But, it didn't work. It was like people were purposefully looking the other way. It was actually rare for people to become angry with me when I pranked or annoyed someone. So I just quit, what's the purpose of looking and acting like an idiot if it doesn't even accomplish the goal you set out to do?"_

_That answered that; she remembered some of the pranks, a few of them were very clever and well-done._

"_I don't know when, or even why, but I eventually started to read. Fiction at first, stories like Gutsy Shinobi, I'd imagine myself as the hero of the story who saves the day and gets the respect. It's why I became a ninja, you know, to get respect. But it didn't happen. I _knew_ as soon as I entered the academy that this wasn't going to go any differently._

"_It's the eyes, they always give people away. The teachers, they looked at me like I didn't belong there, like I wasn't _worthy_ of sitting next to the rest of those kids. That's when I realized I wasn't ever going to be the hero. So, I figured I'd just change my dream, I had always aimed for greatness." He snorted before adding, "I had actually wanted to be the Hokage once, don't know where I ever got that idea, can't even pass the damn Genin exams. Some Kage I'd make."_

_Hana was shocked at the vehemence that the younger boy was speaking with, she was also confused. What looks was he talking about? What could have jaded this kid so much? Sure, he was an orphan, but she knew other orphans who were happy and satisfied with their lives._

The conversation went on for a while, moving on to other topics and became so enjoyable she soon forgot she was even on a mission. Soon after Naruto joined the academy he stopped reading fiction and started looking into other genres. He took his shinobi studies more seriously than most Genin did, he didn't have access to Clan techniques or private tutors, so he had to make up for this if he wanted to make anything of himself by spending more time in the libraries he did have access to.

While he may have been far behind some when it came to jutsu knowledge, she soon discovered his knowledge of tactics and physiology where miles beyond the other academy students. Given his intelligence and his application of chakra control exercises it confused even her why he couldn't complete such a basic jutsu as the common Bunshin.

The answer wouldn't come for nearly one year, she had become much closer to Naruto in this time. He slowly became her best friend, even more important than her former Genin teammates. He was loyal, hardworking, mature for his age, independent and intelligent; she hadn't expected any of this. She expected her eleven year old target to be just another whiny kid who tried her patience, just like Kiba. She might love him dearly but there were times when even she wanted to tell her brother to shut up.

After he failed the Genin exams for the third time he seemed to disappear and she didn't see him again until it was near midnight that night.

Even though he had a hitai-ate in hand, personally given to him from the Hokage, he didn't seem happy or excited at all. If anything, he seemed crushed. That was a very emotional conversation involving lots of hugging and even some sobbing from both sides.

The Kyuubi, the monster that nearly destroyed Konoha and did destroy many other villages, was literally sealed inside him.

That night was the first night she spent with him in his bed, nothing sexual happened, but it was an extremely important emotional line that they crossed that night. Their close friendship began to morph after that, slowly their hugs stopped being so platonic and started be more about physically touching the other - seeking intimacy.

She never expected when she first took the mission to fall in love with her target. The Council meeting a week ago was when it all came to a conclusion. She purposefully ignored thinking about her mission over the last four years, the guilt would eat her up whenever she would spend even a few moments dwelling on it. Her mother had warned her to be careful about getting emotionally attached to Naruto. Every time Hana just shrugged off the concerns, assuming that even if Naruto did discover the initial reason for her befriending him that she would have time to explain; and she did have time - one week.

She spent the last week going from sobbing into her pillows to feeling sorry for herself. Her mother grew exhausted of her depression and literally slapped her. After getting over the initial shock of that, her mother explained that while she may be feeling terrible, Naruto had to be feeling worse and so she should stop being so self-centered. Her mother was barely able to stop her from rushing out of the house toward his apartment, pointing out that she should probably shower and clean-up a little before heading outside.

Forty-five minutes later she found herself on her knees, sobbing, staring at a large group of ninja leading Naruto away from Konoha. She tried to run to him, she really did, but the Hokage ordered her to stand down and be present at the Council Chambers. She wasn't sure of what was going to happen, but she truly didn't care, she just wanted to apologize and beg for Naruto to understand her position.

It was at this moment that the chamber door opened and she was motioned inside.

* * *

Hana was still unfocused, lost in thought, she absentmindedly heard the Hokage speaking; she didn't pick up the exact words but was able to get the gist of what the session was about. They were inquiring about why none of her reports mentioned a close relationship between the Kazekage and Naruto. It was quite simple – it was because she didn't know of how close they were. Whenever she would bring up the topic of Gaara, Naruto would tease and taunt her with his secrecy. She was pretty sure they had only talked twice to each other, both times were at each of the Chuunin Exams that had been held in Konoha in the last three years.

She refocused on the meeting, hoping it would be over soon so she could find some comfort in the arms of her mother about her situation.

"Inuzuka-san, the Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara, is barely mentioned in any of your reports." The one-eyed cripple she knew as Danzo paused for a moment before continuing. "Explain how they could be close enough that the Kazekage would risk our already fragile relationship in order to extract a Jinchuuriki from Konohagakure and yet you only mention the Kazekage in passing a few times."

Hana shifted her weight for a moment, going over everything she could remember about the redheaded Suna Kage and what she wrote in her reports before glancing at her mother, seeking strength.

"Honorable Council, Sabaku no Gaara only came up in discussion a few times during my-," she took a deep breath to collect her already fragile emotional stability. "…during my mission with Uzumaki Naruto.

"On those times that it did come up he was tight-lipped about how close they were, preferring to make light of the situation by teasing and taunting me about how in the dark I was concerning the Kazekage. The only thing I knew for a fact was that Naru-ku-; excuse me, was that Uzumaki," she corrected before moving on, "has only been in physical contact with Gaara during both Chuunin Exams that Konoha has hosted.

"The first time during the finals in which Uzumaki was able to defeat Gaara and the second was a brief meeting that I was not present for nor made aware of what was talked about at some time during the Chuunin Exams that took place less than one year ago."

Hana paused, taking another glance of her mother before finishing up.

"I cannot recall any other times where they could have had any contact, and I cannot recall any substantial or note-worthy conversations that were not placed in my reports concerning this matter."

The young Inuzuka girl could see the one-armed war hawk Danzo was frustrated with how little she seemed to know, but a single, hard look by the Hokage was enough to force him to hold his tongue.

"Just to have it clear and on record; Inuzuka Hana, with your knowledge of and close relationship to Uzumaki Naruto," the Yondaime paused before finishing his question. "Did you have any impression that the relationship of Sabaku no Gaara and Uzumaki Naruto was close enough that would lead you to believe today's events would have or could have transpired?"

"Iie, Hokage-sama."

There were audible grumbles of disbelief that surrounded her, but even her excellent hearing couldn't understand any of the words.

* * *

Shimura Danzo was not having a very good day. He could make the case this was the worst day he had since the time he lost the use of one of his arms and his eye decades ago.

Years of planning spent with the sole intention of breaking the spirit of the Yondaime's son down the drain. It had been slow, almost unnoticeable, but effective. He knew he could never outright attack the Jinchuuriki; that would be the same as committing suicide, so he had to be very subtle. His experience as the former leader of Ne gave him intimate knowledge of how to break the soul of a person.

At first, he had been excited to have a Jinchuuriki in Konoha - it would allow them to easily assert themselves as the greatest of all the villages. But, that didn't last long, it only took a single glance to identify who the child's father was and Danzo knew the elder Namikaze would never allow his son to be conditioned to be ANBU from a young age. It was then that he seen another possible use for the boy, if he could correctly manipulate events in the proper timing he could force the Yondaime to take a more hands-on approach to the protection and care of the demon container.

The blond leader had decided to not openly acknowledge his blood relationship to the Uzumaki boy; the man knew that while he could protect Konoha from his enemies, he wouldn't be able to effectively protect his child, especially not with his lover being dead. Combine that with the rebuilding that was required after the Kyuubi attack and it forced the Yellow Flash to make a very tough sacrifice, a sacrifice that every Hokage must be required to make when they swear the oath to do whatever they can to ensure Konoha's growth and protection.

Danzo didn't think the man would have made that choice, he was more than surprised when he did, just before locking the file on the boy so that only the council would be able to have access to its contents. Just because most experienced ninja didn't have access to the file didn't mean that they couldn't figure out who the boy was related to.

It was tough for Danzo to move instructors into position to make Uzumaki's ninja career difficult. He had expected the boy to struggle, barely passing or outright failing, forcing the Yondaime to step in and help the child. It would have been easy to influence a close relationship between the two blonds, just drop a few hints and it wouldn't be too hard to have it revealed that they were father and son. The boy had surprised him though, instead of struggling he only seemed to be pushed harder. Against the odds and without any assistance he began to spend inordinate amounts of time studying in the library and practicing in various training grounds.

After picking up on the bitter resentment towards the village, Danzo knew something would need to be done in order to keep the boy in the village. It took more than a little blackmail and bribery to get enough of the council behind his proposal to force the Hokage to assign the infiltration mission.

Danzo was aware of how much the boy cared about the Inuzuka girl and vice versa, everything played out how it should… well, almost everything.

The war hawk had already planned out the accident that would take the Inuzuka heiress out of the picture, leaving the boy alone to suffer in the despair of betrayal. The elder blond Namikaze would be forced to step in and take a very active role in his son's life to save him both from himself and protect him from outside enemies. Leaving the current leader of Konoha open to attacks of his position as he would be force to split attention between his son and Konoha; there wasn't anything Danzo wanted more than the position of Hokage.

With the Uzumaki boy now gone, the Yondaime would be much more ruthless and controlling of the Council; which was saying something considering the man had a pretty firm grip on it already.

Danzo couldn't help but lament his failure when he was so close to getting what he wanted.

'_Arrogance and assumption; I was arrogant and allowed myself to not consider just how much the Ichibi no Shukaku Jinchuuriki would come to respect and care for the well-being of another demon container. Even one he had only met twice before.'_

He should have looked more into their relationship, but he discarded any worries concerning it. He had assumed that the Kazekage would never risk doing more damage to the already weakened village of Sunagakure by risking an attack from Konoha and he would pay for that assumption.

Danzo wasn't willing to throw in the towel involving his dreams of becoming the Godaime Hokage, but even he could admit the game was nearly over.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**I.** The pairing is officially going to be Naruto/Hana unless something drastic changes in the future that I can't foresee.

**II.** I'm not sure what that means as far as my desire to pull him away from the Leaf, but I'll play it by ear. I don't exactly have a plan for where to go with this story or how to get there, so I'm gonna try my best to come up with something believable and entertaining to read.

**III.** Does anyone know if Hana's triplet companions have names in canon? The wiki for Naruto doesn't list anything other than calling them the Haimaru Brothers and I couldn't find anything more on another site.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Naruto-sama, due to the-," he was cut off before he could finish.

"Will you cut it out with that 'sama' crap?" Naruto's voice was exasperated. "You're the freaking Kazekage! I'm not even a damn ninja anymore, I don't deserve that respect." The blond couldn't hold back the edge of bitterness during his short rant.

"You have saved me from my madness, you deserve all the respect I can give. However, I will accede to your wishes. Naruto-san, due to the treaty Suna has with Konoha I am unable to grant shinobi status to any former Konoha-nin that isn't specified by the Hokage. Given the events of recent, I am unwilling to cause any more animosity between our already fragile alliance by requesting such permission. However, there is nothing that prohibits freelance mercenaries."

It had taken a little over a week of constant travel to reach Suna, it gave Naruto nothing but time to consider what he was going to do. It also allowed him time to come to terms with his most recent psychological blows. The blond teen still didn't have an idea of where to go with his life.

Taking an exhausted seat in the chair nearest to the Kage's desk, Naruto took a moment to collect his jumbled thoughts.

"I- I don't know what to do man. " The former ninja-turned civilian let out a depressing sigh as his shoulders slumped. "Our lives as Jinchuuriki are hard, I know that. But it was going good for me, far better than the loneliness from my childhood. They were railroading me into being a Genin forever, but I had other ways of making money so it wasn't a big deal.

"But Hana, Kami how could she do this to me?!" Naruto rubbed harshly at his moist eyes.

"Naruto-san, I may never have met Hana-san, but I do have knowledge of what you're going through.

"You are aware that I have been in a relationship with Matsuri-chan for over two years. What I have never spoken about, to anyone, is that she was originally assigned a mission to befriend me by my _father._" The redheaded shinobi spat out the word 'father' as though it were a curse. Naruto could understand a little bit, he also doubted he would ever have a loving relationship with the Yondaime Hokage.

"It was painful when she confessed this to me. More-so than any wound I had ever suffered. She asked me to hear her out before passing judgment, I was thankful that I did. She had always felt admiration towards me but only approached me after being given the mission. She grew emotionally attached and our relationship was able to survive the perceived betrayal.

"I am unsure whether Hana-san feels the same way, only you and she would be able to make that conclusion. I am asking, as a friend, that you stay with me at my home for at least a week before you make any decisions. This will give you time to process the recent events and go over your relationship with Hana-san and possibly infer her true feelings toward you."

Gaara turned slightly and grabbed a small stack of paperwork before proceeding to go through it. He knew it would take time for his first friend to reply.

Naruto slouched forward in the uncomfortable chair, placing his head in his hands while his mind drifted back to a memory.

_A blond teen with handsome features and a soft smile wearing a pair of baggy shorts and a somewhat-tight short sleeved shirt gazed at the girl a few feet away. His body was relaxed, lying on its side with his left hand propping his head up to get a better view of his companion. The girl, a few years older than the boy, was lying on her back with her eyes closed. She was dressed casually and had her brunette colored hair tied back into a ponytail which was splayed near her resting head. Between them could be seen a few containers of half-eaten food._

"_Kiba's being a pain in my ass again. My team was training, I was in the middle of sparring with Sakura when he comes at me and gets in my face. I tuned him out mostly, I think it was the same crap about 'stay away from my sister' and 'don't make me kick your butt.'"_

"_Do you want me to beat him up for you, Naru-chan? Defend your honor?"_

_Naruto ripped a handful of grass out of the ground and threw it in her direction as a response to the teasing._

"_Seriously though, I'm just going to hit him one of these days. Then I'll have to deal with your mom. Kami, she's a scary lady at times. It's only gotten worse since we started doing stuff."_

_The girl turned her head and slowly opened her eyes._

"_Doing stuff?" She could barely hold back the giggles at his phrasing. "Are you suggesting we should stop 'doing stuff?'"_

"_No!" The boy rolled to his hands and knees and began crawling toward the older girl. "If anything, you know, we should probably just be more discrete."_

_The teen reached his goal and began gently massaging the young girl's lips with his own. His right hand exploring her clothed stomach while it edged toward her side and began its descent. He quickly reached around her body and gave a firm squeeze to her butt, earning a squeak and a smile in response._

_Pulling back with a large smile on his face he maneuvered so that he could mirror her rested form and use her stomach as a pillow. They settled like that, neither wanting to break the comfortable silence, for over ten minutes before Naruto worked up the courage to ask a question that had plagued him for a while._

"_Hana."_

"_Hmm?" Her eyes still closed, too cozy to move._

"_Why don't you ever take the Jounin Exams? You're definitely good enough. Hell, even without your dogs you're more than ready."_

"_That's easy, love. I just don't want to be a Jounin. The pay raise would be nice and all, but it would take me away from home too often and for too long. Heck, Genin often spend more time out of the village than most Chuunin because of their Jounin-sensei. Chuunin is nice money, gives me access to all the Medical Jutsu I need, allows me to see my family as much as I want and doesn't involve many really risky missions._

"_The fact that it allows me to spend a ton of time with you, training and hanging out, is just a bonus."_

"_Oh." Naruto wasn't sure what to say to that. "Huh. I've never thought of it like that. The bastards probably won't ever let me become even a Chuunin, but if had the chance I'd take the Jounin Exams without even thinking about it. But after what you said; I dunno."_

_Hana reached down to playfully massage Naruto's scalp, she wanted to draw his attention away from the Council that was doing everything they could to prevent his advancement._

"_Yeah, a lot of people just want to rise in the ranks without really giving it much thought. I've known most of what I wanted to do with my life for a while."_

"_Oh?" The Gennin raised his head to give her his entire attention. "Do you mind sharing it with me? I mean, if it's not too personal."_

_She opened her eyes and smiled softly at him._

"_You know I work as a Vet a lot, but that's what I really want to do all the time for work. I want to open up a shop for civilians working with animals. Healing, breeding and selling them, making and selling little toys for them and stuff._

"_I also want to buy a little house of my own. Not something big like the Clan house, but something more intimate. Raise a bunch of little brown-haired kids with blue eyes." Her eyes widened at her slip of the tongue. Crossing her fingers, hoping he wasn't too freaked by her previous statement. He was surprised, but not scared._

_He rolled to his side and took her hand in his._

"_Really?"_

_She nodded with a smile._

Naruto blinked the memory away. Hana was an amazing kunoichi and likely could have acted during her interaction with him. But she was a very loving girl and would never lie or joke about something as serious as starting a family - family was sacred to the Inuzuka girl. The blond was beginning to see some sunshine peak through his depressing thoughts of the last two weeks. Maybe he could find a way to contact her.

He stood and turned to address his Suna friend.

"I'll take you up on that offer. Think more about the situation with Hana, but you might be right. I'm gonna go take a shower and get some rest, it's been a stressful two weeks for me and I haven't gotten much sleep."

Gaara didn't stop sorting through the paperwork but did nod to acknowledge that he heard Naruto.

The blond paused at the door, a thought hitting him just as he was about to leave.

"Gaara, does Suna have any Summoning Contracts I could sign? I know those are pretty special and hard to get, but I've been having a bad feeling for a while and it hasn't gone away. My gut is never wrong. I thought it was this Council meeting at first, but I still get the feeling that something is about to happen. I'd like to be prepared for it and I think summoning could help." Naruto didn't bother to mention that summoning would make it easy to contact Hana if he chose to.

Gaara placed the writing instrument on the desk and raised his head to stare down the blond; making a decision on whether or not to confirm his friend's question. He eventually nodded.

"We have a few that are currently unused. My _father_, the former Kazekage, wanted to use them as barter material to either lure powerful ninjas to Suna or to trade for treaties with other countries. We have the Hummingbird, Butterfly and the Horned Lizard Contracts."

He paused to gather his thoughts on each one.

"The Hummingbirds are mainly intended for delivering packages or letters, however the larger ones are able to use their speed to assist the summoner in battle.

"The Butterflies are also adequate as carriers, but their main purpose is with Genjutsu. They are extremely skilled in the art and, if summoned beforehand, they are able to form a mental link with their summoner that allows them to break and cancel Genjutsu.

"The Horned Lizards are an all-around summon that, while not as powerful as the Toad contract of Konoha, are powerful in their own right."

Naruto didn't even have to think about his answer.

"The Butterfly. I'm still horrible at Genjutsu and I could use all the help I can get." Naruto was hoping that he got substantially better once the seal finishing its transference, but that was nearly three years away. "Can I sign the contract?"

"You can have it." Gaara held up his hand to stop any protests from his friend. "You are the reason I am the Kazekage, you are also the reason I can appreciate Matsumi-chan. This is the least I can do. Kankuro has his puppets, Temari has her summon and I don't need a contract. There is no-one else I would consider giving a contract to, or even allowing them to sign, at the moment. Consider the Butterfly Contract a gift showing my gratitude toward you."

The blond couldn't help but be touched by the gesture.

"Thanks man."

"I will retrieve it later and give it to you when I arrive home later."

/////

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"_

Naruto channeled as much chakra as he could into the jutsu. He wasn't sure how much was required, he would work that out later, but he wanted to be successful of summoning the most powerful butterfly on his first attempt.

The plume of smoke that appeared wasn't much larger than if he had created a Kage Bunshin. It was just as tall, but a decent amount wider. Naruto was visibly excited to see who he summoned and how their first meeting would go.

Naruto could barely hold back the gasp. The butterfly was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Its head was only two feet off the ground, but the wings stood over three feet higher. The body of the butterfly was a vivid purple, the wings, lined with thin black lines, were mostly metallic red that faded into a lavender color as you got closer to the tips. The edges were sprinkled with bright blues and greens.

"Yo bitch, you fuckin' summon me?"

Naruto flinched back at the gruff, but feminine, voice.

"You fuckin' stupid or somethin'? I asked you a fuckin' question."

"Umm, sorry. Yeah, I'm the one that summoned you. May I ask your name?"

"'_May I ask your name?'"_ The butterfly was not flattering in its imitation of the blond teen. "You some kinda pussy or somethin'? Who the fuck talks like that. Figures, I wait two decades for a new summoner and I get a pansy-ass bitch. Fuck my life."

"Hey! Who you calling a bitch! I'm not a pansy either. I'm just new to this and didn't want to mess up what might be my only chance to summon by insulting you."

"Yeah, whatever. The names' Seikou, I'm the boss of the butterflies. You make fun of the fact that my name means 'delicate', even once, and I'll lock your ass up in a Genjutsu where you get ass-raped for weeks. I shit you not." The butch female butterfly responded before she focused her eyes on his whisker marks.

"You a 'chuuriki?"

"Yeah, is that a problem?" Naruto was visibly surprised his summon could discern that information so quickly.

"Fuck nah that ain't a problem. So, which one are you?"

Naruto was glad he had the foresight to practice his summoning outside the walls of Suna.

"The Kyuubi no Kitsune."

"Fuck yeah!" Seikou was radiating excitement. "You gonna make the butterflies feared again. But if you turn out to be a tree-huggin' humanitarian or something' I'm gonna fuck yo mind up. I'll make you think you're a fuckin' dog-bitch in heat for the rest of yo life."

Seikou _really_ knew how to scare the shit out of her summoners.

"Yeah, I got it. Don't have to worry about that." Naruto was quick to reassure Seikou, he wanted this meeting over as quickly as possible. He wasn't going to take too many chances and accidently anger the boss summon.

"So, do I have to go through a test or something?"

"Nah, you got the Kyuubi in you, so you gotta be powerful. We don't get many summoners for the butterflies, people think they're weak and girly. Why did you pick us to summon? And what's your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, and because of the Kyuubi, my Genjutsu and chakra control are terrible. It also makes it hard for me to break out of advanced illusions, I usually have to cut myself with a kunai to cancel high level Genjutsu. The person who gave me the contract mentioned a 'mind link' that could prevent illusions from affecting me."

"They're Genjutsus, not illusions. Illusions only affect the eyes, Genjutsus mess with all your senses. You have shit tons of chakra, right? From the Kyuubi." She paused long enough to get a nod from her summoner. "Then I'd just summon a weak ass butterfly and keep it out all the time. You got the chakra for it and with it out you won't get hit with Genjutsus.

"Gotta warn you though, there are some strong ass Genjutsus out there. Those guys with the red eyes with the commas in them can create some powerful ass stuff. If you have to fight one of those dudes, summon my ass out straight away.

"I'm gonna bounce. Summon up a little butterfly after I go. I'm out."

And with a puff of smoke Naruto felt himself relax. Something so breathtakingly beautiful shouldn't be so intimidating, but the teen didn't doubt for a second that Seikou could _and would_ follow through on her threats.

Shaking away the freakish meeting he just had, he prepared to summon a much weaker butterfly. A splash of blood, a few handseals and an exclamation of _Kuchiyose no Jutsu_ later while channeling as little chakra as he could manage led to a much, much smaller puff of smoke.

The butterfly summoned during his second attempt was only a few inches tall and was a mixture of black and golden yellow.

"Hello, I'm Naruto and I'm your new summoner. I just finished talking with Seikou and she told me to summon a smaller butterfly to establish a mind link." He was hoping to whatever deity was watching that this butterfly had a much more agreeable personality.

"Greetings Naruto-kun, I am the young and lovely Kiiro. You may call me Kiiro-hime. Am I not the most beautiful female you have ever seen?"

'_Kami-sama, why do you hate me? First, that psychopath Seikou and now this conceited little annoyance.'_ Naruto sucked up his pride and dove into the genuflecting. At least this butterflies' voice was much more pleasant to listen to.

"Absolutely, Kiiro-hime. My hair is jealous of your golden yellow wings."

"So, you've met Seikou. I'm prettier than her, right?"

"Your beauty is second to none." He briefly paused before trying to steer this discussion back to his original reason for summoning. "The mind link; how does that work? And is there anything else we have to work out?"

"The mental bond is very easy to establish and maintain, all I need to do is be in contact with any part of your body. It has to be part of you, it can't be clothing or anything else like that. The hair is our best option. Once I've established a bond I'll be able to determine if there is anything more I can do."

The butterfly quickly landed near the right side of Naruto's bangs and proceeded to burrow herself into his hair. A few minutes passed where nothing happened, he was beginning to think something had gone wrong with Kiiro spoke up.

"Naruto-kun, your chakra system is by far the most out-of-control network I have encountered; why is that?"

Naruto sighed, if he had any phobia speaking about the Kyuubi before this day it was quickly being washed away.

"I'm the Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The seal is converting it's chakra into my own constantly, the seal still had three more years before it's complete. That's the main reason I wanted the Butterfly Contract, to assist with breaking Genjutsu and the ability to cast them through you girls."

Kiiro seemed to think on that before responding.

"Well, I'm sorry to say there isn't more I can do other than the mental bond at the moment. If you were to correct these current issues I could assist your training in and detection of Genjutsu, but I can't do anything as it currently is."

"That's fine. I wasn't expecting you to be able to. Once the seal is finished I hope I can at least become decent with the art of Genjutsu, but I've resigned myself to being terrible for the short term." He wasn't disappointed, the mental link that allowed him to break Genjutsu was more than enough to satisfy him.

"Kiiro-hime, sit tight, I'm gonna head to where I'm staying. Don't want you falling off."

/////

Naruto could smell food after walking into the Sabaku residence for the second time that day. It surprised him a bit, they didn't eat dinner in Konoha for a few more hours. _'Maybe it has something to do with the freezing nights here in the desert.'_

While the dining room was huge, the table itself was very small and informal. Naruto imagined Gaara had changed it since his father had been killed.

"Hey Gaara, Temari," Naruto greeted them while taking a seat. He briefly looked around, "Where's Kankuro?"

Temari gave a slight wave while Gaara nodded.

"He's out playing with his dolls. He won't be in until later." Kankuro's sister didn't respect puppets as much as he did apparently. "So, how long you going to stay in Suna?"

"I'm not really sure," Naruto spoke in between bites of a rice ball. "I'll stick around for at least a week. It'll give me a chance to wrap my head around everything that's happened. By the way, thanks again Gaara for the contract."

"Which contract?" Temari questioned with furrowed brows.

"I gave him the Butterfly Contract as a gift."

"Wow, is that where you just came from?"

"Mhmm, summoned the boss and Kiiro-hime."

Temari appeared confused. "Who?"

"A small butterfly, she's currently buried in my hair somewhere. I think she's asleep."

"Ah… so, how was the boss?"

"Fucking crazy. She threatened me twice, both times with anal rape. Scariest conversation I've ever had. Even the Kyuubi was more pleasant and the meeting I had with the fox was bestial roars loaded with enough killer intent that caused me to pass out while I was already unconscious."

Temari couldn't hide the chuckles that escaped her mouth.

"Oh, laugh it up." Naruto was finishing up his plate of food. "I'm gonna get some sleep, maybe tomorrow I can get some training in with either of you. I'd like to work on my Fuuton jutsus and hopefully learn some new ones while I'm here."

"Nice! You have a wind affinity too?" The blond girl could barely hold back her excitement. "Do you have a weapon yet to channel it?"

"No, not yet." Naruto spoke while gathering his empty plate and utensils and standing. "There wasn't anything in Konoha that I liked, I want something short bladed. A dagger, knife, chokuto, something like that."

After dumping his dirty dishes in the sink he said his goodnights and headed to get changed for bed. He hadn't been able to get even a short nap earlier when he made an attempt, he knew he would be out like a light as soon as his head touched the pillow this time.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**I.** I hope Seikou was fun to read and wasn't too much, I think I need to change the rating just to be safe because of her language. I always like it when stories, which have original summons, do something off-the-wall with them. I remember Stormrune (I believe is the author) had a story where Naruto summoned owls. The owls were feminists which required lullabies as payment for summoning. Kiiro means yellow, by the way.

**II.** Next chapter should have at the very least training, maybe a fight scene. I'm not sure.

**III.** At some point, after I have a better grasp of characterization and my writing, I plan to come back to these chapters and polish them up. Right now I'm just mainly focused on creating a readable plot.


End file.
